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I fled on a monotonous evening,
Forgive me! — I forgive you,
But do not speak to me of anyone.
– He deceived me with his voice,
He led me deep into the woods;
But today, I see you again.
– Do not speak of anyone, dear!
Let us breathe the light breeze
And forget every illusion.
– Yes, forget! You speak the truth. The day
Ends pink for my return;
I owe you this night of love.
– The night of love is all ready;
We have wine for the feast
And madness is in my head.
– Your room is warm as before
And we hear the sound of the wind
That used to lull us to sleep as we dreamed.
– You seem even more beautiful to me;
More proudly your rebellious flesh
Swells your lace bodice.
– You are turning pale, my friend!
Come into the bed; let us drown among
Our kisses your sleeping heart.
– But I lost my heart on the way;
My blood fell drop by drop
And my sad flesh dissolved.
– Alas! with each garment
That you take off, my sweet lover,
I see only your gray bones.
– Could I leave you all alone
In bed? The night is complete.
– Oh! Go away from me, skeleton!
– It’s just that, you see, I suffered greatly,
I was like a hero of iron.
Outside your arms it was hell.
– Go away! Oh! my whole body shudders!
Do not speak to me of anyone anymore.
– Hear how my skull rings.
You emptied it with your sins;
My bones are poorly attached,
We will be better off lying down.
I count out all my vertebrae
And you, white in the darkness,
You die from my funeral kisses.
Your glances were imprudent;
You die from my burning kisses
Without lips around my teeth.
There you are dead, white and pink,
I suffered: my suffering is over;
Every martyr finally rests…
Charles Cros
Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.
Text published on Poésies 123: https://www.poesies123.com/en/poem-reconciliation-charles-cros/